Gladiator
by The-Stupidest-Author-Ever
Summary: SEQUEL TO SAVIOR [AU] Two years have passed since Ian has found asylum on Sanghelios, homeworld of the Elites. The Human-Covenant War has ended, but tension still dominates. The Covenant is reviving with rogue Jul 'Mdama rising to power and calling for revenge. Just when all hope seems lost, the galaxy's greatest soldier will awaken from his long slumber…
1. Chapter 1

**A late sequel to my earlier Halo fanfic, Savior. If you are new, I suggest you visit my profile and catch up on the first one, but if you insist on reading this, go ahead. I never start with the first one, either ;). For this story I plan for it to be my own version of Halo 4. Leave reviews of what you think! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Halo franchise**

**Warnings: language, violence**

**Spoiler Warning: Contains spoilers and even burrowed scenes from Halo 4**

* * *

Ian panted heavily. A thick, tropical jungle surrounded him, almost completely engulfing him. Its native occupants chittered in their own language, filling the air with a faint song. Slightly humid air suffocated the fourteen-year-old boy's skin, creating a thin layer of sweat. His boots dug in to soft soil and his clothes clung to the underbrush surrounding him.

He crouched in his crowded hiding spot, but he didn't know he was discovered until it was too late. Suddenly something rammed into him, slamming him onto the ground. Ian let out a loud wheeze as dead weight fell on top of him. He felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, holding him down.

"I've got you now, filthy human!" a voice snarled.

"In your dreams!" Ian retorted, forcing the words out.

He quickly dug his palms and knees into the turf. He used the support to force his body upward, the momentum throwing his attacker off. There was a grunt from the enemy and a light thud as they fell to the ground. Not hesitating, Ian pounced on his opponent, holding them down as he had been. But before he could get a successful blow, his opponent attempted to retaliate by grasping him. They tried to push him off, but Ian held on too tightly, forcing them to roll on top of him. But the motion backfired. As Ian was pushed to the side, he was shoved through fronds and suddenly didn't feel the earth underneath him.

He gasped as he realized it was a ravine. His sigh turned into a screaming yelp as he felt gravity captured him, dragging him down. Unfortunately the enemy was still holding on to him and unable to support the dead weight. They reluctantly came along, having them both tumble down the decline. Ian wailed at he was an uncontrollable twist of limbs repeatedly smacking into the soil and his enemy.

Finally the unpleasant trip ended when Ian felt something rising to meet him. He felt his shoulder plunge into liquid and his face being slapped. At the same time, his right shoulder throbbed with pain as it slammed on a hard rock. Bubbles and a solidified fog filled his vision before finally rolling over to see a tinted sky.

He faintly heard another splash as his opponent fell alongside him in the shallow water. Ian quickly rolled over on his stomach, propping himself on his palms to keep his head above water. He looked over to the silhouette of the creature floating in the water.

Suddenly a sound came from Ian's mouth, quickly followed by the creature. The two laughed, chuckling about their clumsy fall. The silhouette lifted into a sitting position, lean muscles rippling under a scaly skin and fierce green eyes flashing in Ian's direction. A Sangheili... an Elite.

* * *

The sky transformed into a scarlet hue as the late afternoon sun sunk into the horizon. Great structures towered around Ian, the alien metal gleaming gold in the light. The golden skyscrapers created a forest almost touching the sky with unique formations of walls and bridges along with other annexes crisscrossing the city. Flawless material covered the earth below Ian's feet.

Sangheili dressed in silken robes calmly crossed the streets, either deep in conversation with their companions or minding their own thoughts. Only a few glanced at Ian by now. In return the young human didn't mind them as he traveled his own route.

He stepped into a small plaza free of occupants. It was relatively barren save for a few short flights of stairs and rare plants used for decoration. Ian trotted down a few steps and glanced around, wondering about the best route to take. He was still learning his way around. Suddenly a large silhouette fell next to him, slamming onto the ground. Reptilian emerald eyes flashed across his vision. Ian wasn't tensed at all and relaxed as he quickly recognized it as the same Sangheili from earlier.

It was an Anoka, a young Sangheili in the same age group as Ian. He had no idea what his exact age was, considering Sangheili have different lifespans not to mention lived on different _planets_. He never asked, though, seeing it awkward. It didn't matter; Ian was just glad there was another kid to spend his days with.

Two years had passed since he came to live with the Sangheili. He was originally born on Earth, where he lived a peaceful life and ignorant of the universe or the hells of war. That all changed when the Covenant attacked, but they weren't after Earth. They were after_ him._

Apparently Ian had been born with a special gift. He had a unique power to control any electronic technology around him: from a light bulb to a galactic super-weapon. And the Covenant wanted him just for that. They realized he could assist in their conquest for the ring-world Halo and the rest of the galaxy. So they came and took him away, slaughtering his family and destroying his home in the process. After months of enslavement, he was barely able to escape and found his way to the city of New Mombasa in Africa. That's where he met the Master Chief…

The Spartan rescued him, saving him from inevitable death and taking him into UNSC. Little did the legend know that Ian would bring even more troubles. The Covenant found him again.

When learning of his strange talents, the UNSC fought valiantly for his defense, but there was nothing they could do when the aliens successfully recaptured him. Only when they did, a civil war broke out between two fractions of the Covenant. Deciding there was more important things to deal with, the Covenant declared to execute their prisoner. Only to everyone's surprise, it was the Sangheili who stood up for him.

They respected him. They praised his talents and pitied him that he was lied to like they had been. And they knew better than anyone that they could protect him, and could do a pretty significant job of it. Ian knew that, too.

Even though it killed him to leave behind everything—almost to the point he felt like a traitor—he made the difficult decision. He decided to choose asylum with the Sangheili, who by now were split from the Covenant. He was taken to their homeworld, Sanghelios, and had been there ever since. A lot of things had occurred after his arrival.

The Great Schism, in which the Sangheili left the Covenant; the Sangheili and the humans creating an alliance that was still active today; the war with the Flood and the destruction of the Ark. But most importantly, the Covenant had fallen…

Now all the races could live in peace and rebuild their ruined societies. Ian could finally live in safety and assurance. After all, his caretakers have vowed to shield him with their lives…

"Did you hear me?" Anoka asked, interrupting Ian's long train of thought.

Startled, the human quickly shook his head to clear it. He focused on his friend. "Huh?"

Amusement and sympathy flickered in the young Sangheili's eyes, revealing that he understood the boy's occupied thoughts. He repeated his earlier question that Ian flailed to hear. "Will you join me for hunting tomorrow?"

Ian quickly regrouped his thoughts and forced his thick tongue to reply, "Oh! Yeah, sure!"

Anoka's eyes gleamed again with humor, but said nothing. Sangheili children were much more active than their human counterparts. They constantly trained and exercised, but it was fun to them as long as they stood out of the adults' way. A child's favorite activity was hunting in the world's exotic forests. Not deadly treks, just small game such as rodents and other easy catches.

"Very well," Anoka agreed. He shifted to his side suddenly. "I must go now, my uncle will be waiting."

"Yeah, my caretakers are probably looking for me, too," Ian replied.

Anoka gave another stiff nod. Without another word, he swirled on his heels in a cat-like motion and dashed away. Ian tried to watch him go, but the Sangheili's speed had him only catch a glance.

Realizing he was completely alone, the boy sighed and turned away. Careful not to look exposed and like he knew what he was doing, he made his leave.

* * *

The sky was an inferno of bright colors by the time Ian reached his destination. By the edge of the heavenly fire was its thick black smoke of the coming night. The structure below was reflecting the light, seemingly glowing on its own. Though as Ian drew near, he noticed it was finally turning a gray-like shade as the daily color's life came to an end.

The structure had a complex designs. It was mostly a one-story building, save for the two-story sections where the complex seemed to fold back on itself. The building was bent in different directions like a rectangular pretzel with multiple angles jutting out. It owned no surrounding barricade like most unique formations, but it didn't need them with the usual security around. Ian slowed his trot to a steady-paced walk as he spied two brick-red mini-towers posted to the wall. Sangheili guards.

They glanced at Ian and eyed his approach, but other than that they failed to acknowledge him. Self-conscious of their stares, Ian couldn't help but give them a nod of greeting. Only one gave the slightest of movements.

The human moved on to the main entrance, which were double manual doors. He was surprised like on Earth, most of the doors could be moved to the side; only difference was that Sangheili doors didn't have handles. So Ian simply pushed the golden door open and stepped into the dark foyer. He looked up to see green-amber eyes from the shadows staring at him.

"I was wondering where you were," a feminine, but stern voice commented. "I was about to send a search party."

"I was only with Anoka," Ian defended calmly.

The voice hummed and the eyes slowly blinked, disappearing for a second before returning. Their owner finally stepped out from her watch and into the shaft of light. As Ian already knew, it as a female Sangheili.

She had the same scaly skin and reptilian eyes as the males. She was shorter, though, but still taller than the average human. She stood around six feet tall, a few inches above Ian himself. The main difference she had from males was that she didn't have those intimidating mandibles. Instead, she had a more human-like jaw, her mouth being split horizontally and actually speaking like so. However, Ian had noticed that with close observation revealed at her lower jaw seemed to be _attached_ at the center. Like that they could separate with some force. He saw it in other females, too. So it made him suspicious if they actually had four jaws as well. It made him wonder what could make them separate, but then realized he didn't want to investigate that.

But this female's jaw was closed, making his life a little easier. She wore a dark golden dress with brown vine-like designs lining her collar. Similar designs stretched across the fabric. Carefully tended braids of wiry-black hair fell onto her shoulders. She looked fair and even soft, but Ian knew not to underestimate her.

She was usually calm to the point of having a cool personality, and rarely judged or bombarded him with orders. But the child was well-aware she could change in a heartbeat to owning a fierce, even deadly personality. It wasn't like she screeched and roared, but more like she chose a deadly tone that sent shiver's up one's spine. She was stern, too, expecting her words to be followed.

Ian supposed she had an explanation for her split personality. Her former husband was Xytan 'Jar Wattinree, the Imperial Admiral of the Covenant. Apparently that was the highest of Sangheili ranks. And Ian heard pretty impressive stories about him, too. Unfortunately Xytan had been killed at the beginning of the Great Schism, leaving his wife as a widow. So Ian was left to assume that may have affected her, but he saw it more likely if you married someone of such command, you were pretty commanding yourself.

The human was flattered that someone so special had volunteered to overlook him, especially when it was rare for a child to have a maternal figure. Usually Sangheili children were sent to a relative, most of the times an uncle, to be raised. The uncle would care for them until they either joined the military or some other prominent role in society. Basically this system was used to make sure children weren't raised by demented parents.

"Just make sure you don't get yourself into trouble," the female warned him.

"Yes, Suen," Ian replied obediently.

* * *

**There is my first chapter of Gladiator! For those old or new, I added a recap for you. I also made sure to explain some of the Sangheili's society, even though I probably won't make much reference to it. Honestly I feel like this chapter wasn't the best, which is disappointing since it's the first one, but the chapters get better later on. I'm honestly more pleased with this story than its predecessor.**

**If my description was too poor and you want a better visual of the Sangheili (Elite) homeworld, I suggest watching the Halo clip "The Duel," which is based on Sanghelios.**

**Thanks for reading! I already have multiple chapters written and more on the way, so I'll try to keep this updated. However, I'm currently working on two other projects. Yeah, don't know if that was the best idea, but I didn't want to wait any longer for this fanfic.**


	2. Chapter 2

Torrents of rain fell from the dark sky, drenching the inferior land. What would usually be early evening was now pitch-black and the rain throwing a thin mist into the air. The heartless water created a chill in the air that bit anyone not wanting to feel it. It signaled a long night of miserable weather.

At the mercy of this weather was Ian, soaked and chilled the bone. Suen would _kill_ him for being so irresponsible. He spent the entire day hunting with Anoka, chasing game all over the forest. They even got larger catches than normal. However that came at a price as they realized they strayed miles from their original destination. By the time they got back to civilization, it was well into the afternoon.

There was no law or caretaker's rule of timing, but it was far later than their original intentions. While Anoka returned home, Ian made the poor decision of killing time. It was mostly of aimlessly walking around the city. By the time he reminded himself where he was, he was miles away from the stronghold and night was falling with a rainstorm. Just great.

The boy was trying not to shiver, bundling in his leather-like jacket given to him by the Sangheili. He originally tried to run, but quickly lost his breath and fell into walking miserably through the growing rivers of water.

His decisions were even stupider considering the fact he wasn't supposed to be alone for too long. He was first always with an escort until they finally gained trust in him to go out of his own. The young human wondered if he was betraying their trust right now.

Tensions were high on Sanghelios, even after the end of the war. Ian's caretakers were trying to shield him, but he wasn't foolish. Most of the Sangheili were happy the war was over, but there was always that fraction that didn't. And that fraction was growing larger. Not to mention new reforms that were being introduced were making more unhappy. Ian suspected that more politics were involved, but once again he was shielded.

It was these very tensions that endangered him. The Sangheili have hated the humans ever since their encounter; and old habits die hard. There was no doubt—Ian even saw them—that there were Sangheili wishing him away or even dead. And it was only a matter of time until a gutsy one stood up and did something about it.

Little did the human realize that time had come sooner than he expected.

Ian jumped when he heard a faint sloshing sound behind him. He instinctively whirled around and peered through the sheet of water, only to see nothing. His skin automatically crawled. Ever since he began his journey home he felt like he was being watched, or more like _followed_. He had even heard strange noises and a flicker of brief movement a few times. But he could never find the owner and was forced to rationalize himself. But now his list of reasons was shortening.

He stood still for a few seconds before turning back around, once again blaming paranoia. But as he began moving again, he saw that black flash in the very corner of his vision. He instinctively quickened his pace, careful to not look too obvious of his growing fear. The human had just rounded a corner when it happened.

Suddenly super strong hands grasped him: one on his shoulder and one wrapped around his torso. Ian gasped at the grip hoisted him up at least a foot off the ground. He heart pounded when he realized this creature was two-to-three times larger than him, and _far _stronger. A growl rumbled in his ears, almost deafening his sensitive hearing. Hot breath panted on his neck and shoulder, but instead it sent chills coursing through his body as his hairs stood on end.

Ian let out a struggling yelp and began to flail his legs. He pounded his leg on what felt like the attacker's knee, but to his disappointment they were armored. The growl grew louder into one of frustration. The grip tightened and Ian felt himself being hoisted a little higher, propping the back of his head on the attacker's shoulder. Though the boy still couldn't see the creature's face. No doubt it was a very angry Sangheili.

He let out another roar as he felt the attacker moving, backing up into the shadows. Ian kicked harder and tried to drive his elbow into them, but his strikes only hit hard metal.

"Get off of me!" he demanded. "Let me go!"

The Sangheili continued to ignore him as they retreated farther, heading toward the entrance of the warehouse next to them. Just before the black roof closed over him, Ian was able to let out one last cry.

"SOMEONE HELP!"

Suddenly his world spun, becoming a blur with powerful streaks. His vision panned down and he saw the flash of a dark cold floor before slamming into it. He grunted in pain. He heard another slam immediately follow, which was most likely the door being locked in place. Now the only sound was the force of rain on the roof far above and the growling of the Sangheili. He was speaking his native language, but Ian failed to understand. He wasn't the best at his lessons. Though he could hear the fury in his tone.

Ian growled with effort as he forced his palms into the ground and slowly pushed himself up. He expected the Sangheili to push him back down, but they continued to pace impatiently, each stomp a crack of thunder. Ian was forced to measure himself to a crouch as his head pounded and swirled. He looked up to see who exactly his attacker was.

It was obviously male, as Ian already guessed. He wore golden armor, indicating his high rank. Though Ian noticed the armor seemed a little darker than the gleaming shine of most. The boy could spy the Sangheili's skin, as this armor exposed more than most. His scales were a sickly pale with patches thicker than others. Under the rim of the attacker's helmet were gray beady eyes. They looked almost lifeless, but Ian could point out the endless fury within them.

The Sangheili looked down at his prisoner with disdain and his mandibles moving constantly as he growled in his language. Ian tried to follow along, but what he could catch wasn't helpful. He was really wishing he tried to learn the Sangheili's language better. Finally the Sangheili seem to catch on to Ian's lack of knowledge. The boy was surprised when the alien suddenly switched.

"You come with me," the creature growled savagely. The Sangheili's English owned a heavy accent and was more growl than words. It didn't sound proper at all. It just proved that the Sangheili wasn't very educated with other languages himself.

"And if I don't?" the boy countered.

Despite his impaired language skills, the Sangheili seemed to understand what Ian meant. In answer, he growled savagely and snatched out a skinny handle. With just a twitch of his wrist, two white blades made of crackling plasma appeared with a sizzling hiss. An energy sword.

The Sangheili raised his sword, drawing out the last of Ian's nerve. In a panic, the boy yelped and stumbled back, losing his balance and falling on his back. Propping himself up with his arms, he desperately tried to backward crawl a couple paces away. The aggressive Sangheili only stomped after him, waving his energy sword before him.

Suddenly before the attacker could near his sword again, a loud slap filled the air. In the same instant, the sword flew out of his hand and the alien let out a roar of pain. He stumbled back, holding his wounded hand.

Startled, Ian immediately rolled to his side to where the noise had come from. It was then he saw a very familiar figure.

"Glacier!" he cried in relief.

At the edge of the warehouse, outlined against the new opening and rain, was a tall Sangheili. They were over eight feet tall dressed head-to-toe in pristine white armor. The male clutched a carbine in his hands, still aiming it at Ian's tormentor. The wounded one looked back at the newcomer, his eyes narrowing with dangerous fury.

"Virl 'Sadum," he growled deeply, his voice filled with that heavy accent as he stated the newcomer's real name.

"Leave the human alone," Virl—known to Ian as Glacier—ordered. "The punishment to those who attack him was very clear."

Ian's attacker roared in response and began to yell at Glacier in Sangheili. After a seemingly long speech, Glacier only replied with a couple sentences. Whatever they were saying, it wasn't a happy conversation as both seemed annoyed. Especially when the attacker roared at Glacier's response.

The assassin dived for his fallen energy sword, but was interrupted as Glacier shot again. The attack hit his shoulder, sending him stumbling back. The victim quickly ripped out his plasma rifle and fired a few shots at the intruder. A few hit him, making the white commander growl in annoyance. He lunged away and without warning he disappeared in thin air.

The assassin seemed panicked as he realized Glacier had activated his camouflage. He fidgeted in place and tried to look in multiple directions at once. He moved his weapon back and forth, now uncertain how to hold it. He had forgotten about Ian.

Suddenly an empty space by the Sangheili was replaced by a white tower. In the same instant, Glacier pounced on his opponent, wrapping his arms around his torso and driving him down. His victim roared in protest, but Glacier was already settling his weight on him. The white Sangheili sent a powerful fist into his captive's head. His head jerked to the side and the wind was knocked out of him. Glacier was able to deliver a couple more blows, but a Sangheili's ability of quick recovery allowed his captive to retaliate. He swiped at Glacier's helmet, forcing him to wince and for the attacker to regain the advantage.

He pounded on Glacier's armor a couple times himself before being able to pull his legs up. He suddenly drove his feet into the commander's stomach, sending him flying. The white Sangheili slammed onto his back with a yelp. Meanwhile, the golden one was already on his feet and snatched his sword. He quickly reactivated it and swiped it down at his victim to cut him in half. But Glacier was just as quick.

Before the blade came in contact, the commander ripped out his own energy sword. Far too fast for the naked eye, the two swords clashed as the almost-victim-to-be used it as a shield. A crack of lightning and bright flash filled the air.

Glacier used his superior strength to push the other's sword back, sending the attacker stumbling backwards once again. Ian's defender leaped up to his feet to deliver another strike, but this time the golden Sangheili was ready. He pushed the commander back with his palms, forcing the older one to lose his balance and stumble. The assassin's eyes lit up with glee as realizing he had an opening. He charged, bringing up his sword to send a deadly attack. But it never happened.

Just as Sangheili was about to swing his arm, his body suddenly went rigid. Glacier blinked as his enemy became completely frozen; his raised arms not even lowering. The attacker growled and twitched, showing he was trying to resist and fight his own body. At first the white commander was confused, but then noticed the green electrical sparks across the Sangheili's armor. He looked around to see super-thin wires of mini-lightning from the warrior's back, waving through the air… and connecting to Ian's fingertips.

The boy's face was twisted. His eyes were narrowed and crooked with his lips curled back. It looked like he was battling a migraine and frustration at the same time.

"Hurry, Glacier," he croaked, his voice strained. "Can't—do this—forever."

Immediately Glacier's mandibles curled into a Sangheili's smile as he realized Ian was using his power to control the assassin's armor—and the commander had the advantage. He lunged to his feet and charged at his opponent. The smaller Sangheili was defenseless as Glacier delivered several accurate blows born from years of training and fighting. The victim grunted as his head was forced down as the white Sangheili struck the top of his head. Immediately after Glacier balled his fists into one and swung them up, ramming them into golden Sangheili's jaw.

The beast let out a roar of pain. At the same time, Ian gave in and released his spell, unlocking the assassin. The result was the Sangheili flying back and slamming hard onto the ground, all the wind and strength in him ripped out of him. Ian crumbled to his knees and fought to regain himself, but he judged he was in better than his victim, who was completely dazed.

As the creature lay completely motionless, Glacier pulled out his sword. He walked over to his victim and activated it. Just as the Sangheili tried to lift himself up, the other hovered his sword over him, the sizzling electricity an inch from his face. First the inferior one twitched his head back and his eyes flashed with surprise, but then they hardened into humiliated fury. Glacier said something to him in Sangheili, which Ian finally caught what he meant.

_"__Do not return."_

* * *

**I am much happier with this chapter, even it was kind of frustrating not using the mean Sangheili's name. So I apologize for the repetition in this chapter. For those of you wondering who exactly "Glacier" is, don't worry, I'll explain in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

Ian stood restlessly in some Sangheili conference room, adrenaline still pumping through his veins even though the attack was almost a day ago. Before him was a rather large and long table with a ring of seats surrounding it. It looked like one of those tables in a meeting room, which what this exactly was.

Occupying half of the seats were several Sangheili. Some of them were commanders or ex-leaders and others were simply figures in their government. They were basically a small group of Sangheili that had decided to bother with their guest.

Ian was relieved to see Glacier was there, but self-conscious to see other Sangheili whose names' had abandoned him. A couple he never met before, which was a good excuse, but another couple he met briefly. He decided to keep quiet to that group so he wouldn't mess up and offend them. But the boy was everything but quiet as he paced impatiently back and forth, grumbling and demanding useless things.

"Calm down, Ian," Glacier moaned. He was the one who had the most experience with the boy, knowing him a little better than the others.

Before the Great Schism, Glacier was a Supreme Commander of the Covenant under the name of Virl 'Sadumee. He was the Prophet of Regret's right-hand during the Invasion of Earth, even though the two had different views. It was the Commander who was responsible for the recapture of Ian and his handling. However, he was the same one who saved Ian, and brought him to Sanghelios.

After the Prophets' betrayal of murdering the Sangheili's council, he was crushed. He immediately retired from his high position, but took command over his brethren. Even after the war, his race saw his talent in command, putting him in charge of a portion of the Sangheili Navy. Even with his respect for the veteran, Ian still turned on him.

"How can I calm down?" he demanded. "Some asshole just tried to kill me!"

"We promised you protection, and we shall guarantee it," a deep, rumbling voice interrupted.

Immediately the occupants of the room froze and stiffened. It wasn't one of fear; instead it was that natural reaction to those when someone of high authority enters a room. Ian looked over his shoulder to see a large newcomer stomp into the chamber.

They were an intimidating eight and seven inch figure, taller than the average Spartan and even a slightly larger than Glacier. Dark gray armor aged by millennium shined dimly in the little light and clung tightly to its owner. It was armor not worn by any other Sangheili, as only one could wear it at a time.

Ian refused to move as Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter, settled next to him. The warrior bent a little and lowered his head in attempt to be eye level with the human, but his gaze was still an inch over Ian's head. Even though, the boy was still forced to look into those fierce amber eyes that burned into his very soul.

"Do you not trust us?" the Arbiter questioned.

"N-no," Ian stammered.

"Good. Now sit."

Ian gulped and immediately did what he was told. He found the closest seat he could fit into and scrambled in it. Just as he settled, he swore he heard a faint chuckle, but couldn't find its owner. Meanwhile, the Arbiter took a seat at the head of the table.

"So I have been told there has been an incident," the veteran began.

Ian bit his tongue to keep from yelling at Sangheili for his statement of the obvious. But he understood that the leader was handling other things when he was suddenly bombarded with the news, which was very least sketchy. And he respected the Arbiter as well, inspired by his story. A pariah turned leader. However, Ian was sometimes annoyed by the mute with his lack of response.

"Yes," Glacier replied formerly. "It was an assassin from the Servants of Abiding Truth that attacked Ian not long ago."

"Did you know the figure?" another Sangheili questioned. Ian immediately recognized him as Rtas 'Vadum, another commander and a close friend of the Arbiter.

Glacier nodded. "Jul 'Mdama."

The room was filled with small gasps and freezing muscles. Ian felt like he was the only one who didn't react. The name honestly didn't ring a bell. But he knew it was hard to faze a Sangheili, so their reactions weren't a good thing. Another Sangheili spoke up, the oldest of the bunch.

"I always knew he was a troublemaker!" he rasped, his voice hoarse and high-pitched with age.

"Apparently Avu Med 'Telcam won him over," the Arbiter mused. The warrior had looked down in thought for a moment before glancing back up at Glacier. "Did he say of his intentions?"

Glacier blinked in silence for a moment. Finally he talked, but instead of English for Ian's sake, he spoke in the growls of his native tongue. Immediately fury welled up in Ian's chest. He wasn't stupid. He knew Glacier was speaking this language to keep him out of the loop.

"Hey!" he quickly protested. "I'm in this, too!"

"Silence, brat," a Sangheili councilor snapped, who Ian vaguely remembered his name being Levu 'Mdama.

The Arbiter and his companions stared intently at Glacier as he spoke quickly of his report. Sometime another would interrupt and shifting the conversation slightly. Ian could only tremble in rage and try not to let out an outburst. After what felt like eternity for the boy, Glacier ended his report and the conversation went back to English.

"Interesting," the Arbiter hummed, bring a loose fist to his chin.

"What's interesting?" Ian immediately asked. When there was no reply, he continued to harass the councilors. "What the hell is going on? I have a right to know!"

"Oh, quiet, human," Levu moaned. "Jul wasn't there to assassinate you, but to _capture _you."

Glacier shot an ice-cold glare at the councilor for his slip, but the damage was done. Ian's already restless self was becoming panicked.

"Capture me? Why?" he shot off. Then suddenly a cold realization climbed up his spine as haunting memories returned. "He wants my power. And there's only one thing to use my power for." Several of the Sangheili glanced at him, but Ian ignored them and turned to the Arbiter, who was still staring in thought. "It's Halo, isn't it?"

"You don't know that for sure," the creature insisted. "And besides, the humans have control over most of the rings now."

Ian blinked. He didn't know that. But it didn't matter.

"Then what?" he demanded.

"That is hard to say. I may have to speak to Avu Med 'Telcam directly. He won't be pleased with it, but as far as he is concerned it is not his choice." The Arbiter finally looked up and trained that dagger-like gaze on his guest. "In the meantime, I am returning you to your escorts. You must be accompanied at all times and may only leave your compound during a certain set of hours. And I will increase your security, as well."

That voice in the back of Ian's head told him it was pointless to argue with the Arbiter, but he couldn't help himself.

"If you do that than you're just letting these 'Truth-whatever' people know that they're winning!" he roared. "And besides, I can take of myself! I learned a lot of things from you guys, and I've _really _gotten better with my powers."

The Arbiter was nodding along, but was obviously uninterested. "Good for you. But it is irrelevant. Increasing security will protect you and will inform others that will we not accept this sort of behavior." Before Ian could let out another protest, he quickly turned to Glacier. "Virl, you will be in charge of his guard."

A mischievous glint appeared in the commander's eyes. "Of course."

Ian, however, gave him a glare of defeat. "Just like old times, huh?"

"I'm going to have fun with this."

Ian ignored his comment and looked once again at Arbiter, his conversation still not over. "But I don't see how this will change anything. You're still restricting my freedom and you're still hiding things from me."

"We will do what is best for you," the warrior insisted.

It was then Ian replied with a staring contest. He looked into those burning fires, trying not to flinch away. But it didn't work as Ian lost, the eyes' intensity damaging his soul. He looked away.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

And with that, the human stormed out of the room.

* * *

The storm from the night before had passed, leaving an endless dark sky only broken by microscopic twinkling stars and the planet's two moons, Qikost and Suban. Despite the brightness of the almost full moons, millions of stars crowded the black canvas, barely any room between them. It was a long time since Ian saw a view like this.

His peace was only questioned by the faint babbling of Sangheili guards below as they were already finding their new positions. Apparently Glacier wanted to start his new guard right away. It wouldn't be long before they would be inspired to drag him inside. Yes, because a sniper would _love _to kill him with an army surrounding him.

But Ian wasn't pondering about his bad luck or his situation. Instead he was thinking on a slightly broader scale. It started with that he realized that he was most ignorant person ever. He was aware that tensions were high on Sanghelios, but he had no idea _how _high. He assumed it would die down in a few months and it was being handled. But that wasn't the case at all. It was leading to _civil war._ And half of it was about him. He couldn't see it getting any better any time soon.

The boy tilted his head back and observed the stars. His knees were bent with his arms wrapped around them. He finally realized that there was nothing he could do about it. He just caused trouble wherever he went. An unsettling feeling grew in his chest. The last time he felt like this was when just before he left with the Sangheili. He was just twelve-years-old then.

He stared at the stars. Countless suns scattered all over the galaxy in all different sizes. And between these stars, almost hidden behind them due to its incredible distance, was Earth.

_We can't do this alone, _Ian realized. _We need the humans._

* * *

**Pathetically boring chapter and shorter than I intended, sorry about that. And you're probably thinking most of it was pure crap. But don't worry, though, things really kick up next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**EIGHT MONTHS LATER…**

_"__Wake me… When you need me…"_

Emptiness… There was only emptiness. Even with the floating junk—their original purpose long forgotten—hovering through the void. Even with the pockets of oxygen that had somehow survived the vacuum of space. Even with the _Forward Unto Dawn _drifting through space, worn from its long travels. There was just… nothing.

_"__Chief… I need you…"_

"CHIEF!"

John's eyes shot open with a sharp breath. A film of ice covered his vision, but he noticed it was subtly retreating. His body and limbs were unusually stiff. The Spartan's senses felt extremely dulled and a thick mist clouded his mind. The Master Chief let out a groan.

"Easy, you were out for a while," Cortana warned.

The veteran ignored her warnings as he desperately attempted to gain focus. Only when life started to seep into his frozen veins, his Spartan instincts kicked in. In a brief moment of panic, he slammed his palms into the air before him, only to pound bullet-proof glass.

Panic stabbed his heart, but he quickly overcame disorientation. Oh, right, he was in cryosleep. He was still on the _Forward Unto Dawn. _But anything exceeding that failed to come to him.

"Where are we?" he questioned.

"Still adrift," Cortana reported.

"Why did you wake me?"

"Hold on, soldier, let's get you out of there, first."

She was stationed on a skinny panel a few feet in front of the Chief's pod. They were in a small, but slightly long room made of plain metal. Cryotubes lined the walls, the Chief occupying one at the end. He spied the room's entrance on the opposite side of room.

After a quick scan of the room, John glanced at Cortana again. He noticed she seemed slightly different. Her shoulder-length "hair" was darker than he last remembered it, and it seemed to be trimmed unlike its wildness from before. She looked fuller, too, instead of her previous thin self. It wasn't surprising he supposed, since AIs could manipulate the form of their avatar.

John watched her as she turned around. Suddenly a mini-holographic panel appeared before her, and she began to meddle with the data. John blinked. That was a new trick.

"Re-activating the ship's gravity generators," Cortana announced.

Suddenly a wave of nausea appeared as the Chief felt a force grab him and all of his organs fell. The floating junk hovering around the room dropped to the floor with a crash.

"Good," Cortana approved. "Now the cryotube."

She clicked another piece of data. The Master Chief's hearing was filled with the familiar hiss of the pod before its front slowly lifted to hang over him. With a groan of effort, the large Spartan crawled out of the tube. His body radiated with soreness and his legs were numb—consequences of them not being used for who-knows-how-long. He swallowed the last of his dizziness and crossed to Cortana.

"Just like old times, huh?" she chuckled.

"Ready to get back to work?" John asked.

"Thought you'd never ask."

John smiled beneath his helmet before he slowly reached out and pulled out her chip. Her avatar disappeared with a beam of light. The Chief impeded her in the back of his head and reached for the assault rifle leaning on the pedestal. He balanced in it in his arms, never feeling so natural. Seeing there was nothing else to do, he headed out of the cryoroom.

"So what's going on?' the Spartan questioned.

"We've got intrusion alerts lighting up on multiple decks," Cortana reported. "Our best bet to figure out who's boarding us is the observation deck—four floors up."

"Could it be a rescue team?"

Before Cortana could reply, suddenly the Chief's small world shook violently. The unstable Spartan stumbled a bit and held out his arms for balance. The trembling only lasted a second, but it unnerved the soldier.

"I wouldn't bet on it," his companion commented.

John gritted his teeth and sped his pace a little. He travelled through a maze of hallways, distorted by the ship's erosions. Occasionally he would pass an actually working electronic, but he would simply ignore it as it offered no assistance. He saw no clues or traces of what could be boarding them, but he was still alert. Even though, he voiced what was on his mind ever since he woke up.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Two years, seven months, and fourteen days," Cortana responded methodically.

"I feel like somebody should've found us by now."

He exited a hallway to find himself in another room. Dominating most of it in the center was a large panel. Hovering over it was a colored hologram. The hologram seemed to be a cloud of dust and small specs, variety of sizes. The Chief neared it and narrowed his eyes to observe it. It was then he realized it was a map of the space surrounding the ship. However, he couldn't recognize any of the planets or stars.

"What system are we in?" he asked.

"Unknown," Cortana replied solemnly.

It was just then the ship trembled again. The Master Chief stumbled once again, but was able to catch himself by grabbing the edge of the panel. This tremor seemed to be a few seconds longer than the first.

"Cortana, observation deck," he barked.

"It's directly above us," she hastily replied.

With that, the Spartan pushed himself up and dashed up a nearby set of stairs. It led to a hallway that rounded a corner to reveal lonely pair of automatic doors. The Chief realized it must be the elevator. But the doors were lifeless and didn't reply to his approach, giving him the conclusion that they were offline. But seeing it as the only route and a good way to go up, John neared the doors anyway.

He dug his fingers between them. Using his supreme strength, his pulled his arms apart with all his might, letting out a loud groan of effort. The doors creaked and groaned as they agonizingly moved inch-by-inch. With his raw strength, the Chief slowly pulled them apart.

"Chief, be careful!" Cortana warned, obviously nervous.

Her advice was useless as the second the doors opened, a new power captured John. Rushing air and a powerful gravity sucked him in, sending him face first into the now deadly elevator shaft. Luckily the momentum sent him slamming into the opposite wall, allowing him to grab a foothold. Debris and filthy air tore through the shaft, trying to knock him down as he gripped on to dear life.

"Because some areas might have lost pressure…" Cortana finished sourly.

"Right," John muttered in the same manner.

With a growl, the thousand pound Spartan hoisted himself up, throwing his arm up and clawing for another hold. At an agonizing rate, he climbed up the shaft, carefully moving one limb at a time. He had to fight to move his own body.

"I didn't realize the ship had deteriorated so badly," his companion mused.

"Well, next time check," the Chief heaved through gritted teeth.

Finally he looked up to see a gap above him with artificial light pouring into the dark shaft. With a sigh of both effort and relief, he pushed himself up and clambered over side of the open elevator entrance. Only the very second he did, even before he regained himself, an outraged roar deafened his hearing.

The Master Chief shot his head up to see a split-second image of a tall silhouette. A figure materialized from the excess smoke before him, still screaming and waving its weapon. An Elite.

The tall alien was wielding an energy sword and charging at him at full speed. Thankfully John was faster, able to leap to his feet and meeting the monster head on. The Elite slammed into him, trying to rip its sword into the Spartan's head. John was able to hold it away and obtain a grip on his opponent. With a desperate grunt of effort, the Chief spun around, still holding his captive, and threw him over the side.

The roar of fury was replaced by a scream of protest and fear. John looked over the side to see his attacker falling into the very abyss he escaped, disappearing in the thick mist of filth.

"I thought we had a truce with the Covenant," he panted.

"I suppose a lot happened in the last couple years," Cortana replied. "Either way, he's probably not alone. Be careful."

The Chief acknowledged her warning with a grunt. His ideology about the shaft paid off as he rounded another corner to see the entrance to the observation deck. He smiled in approval and victory, but it immediately fell when he sensed he wasn't alone.

Measuring his heavy footsteps, he cautiously and slowly crept towards the entrance, even crouching a little. Like he feared, he neared to spy a tall Elite ahead on the observation deck, meddling with the very controls he was after. He cursed through gritted teeth. But then he realized his enemy was cursing more: constantly muttering under his breath in his alien language. This inspired the weary warrior to continue his stalk, lowering the upper half of his body and staying out of the creature's peripheral vision.

It was successful as the Master Chief wrapped his fingers around the Elite's neck, his movement quicker than lightning. The monster let out a startled roar, but it was cut short. John twisted his hands, the long neck forced to follow along until a satisfying _crack _filled the air. With a death moan, the Elite crumbled into a twisted heap.

"Wow, you didn't lose your touch," Cortana commented. After a moment of awe, she snapped out of it and went back to business. "Override for the blast shields so we can see what we're up against."

John obediently did what he was told, stepping over the crippled corpse and activating the controls. The wide, empty room filled with a roar. The black walls of the metal shields hissed and split directly in the middle. With a groan, the shields began to pull apart, a beam of light in between them.

"These Covenant don't seem to be standard military," Cortana reported. "There's a good chance that we just came across a rogue salvage ship."

Just as she finished her words, the shields pulled away from the glass windows. Only the second they did, a loud ghost-like scream filled the air and John saw a flash of a Banshee squadron, just an inch from the glass. What was lying behind them made his heart drop.

Up to a dozen gleaming purple Cruisers hovered before the broken ship, falling into a strict orbit to surround their find. The hulking structures almost blocked out the space expanding behind them.

"…Or we might have stumbled onto an entire Covenant fleet…" Cortana sighed.

John stumbled backwards, drawing out his assault rifle. His heart began to race and his adrenaline pumping.

"How do we get out of here?" he demanded.

"Too late!" his companion yelped. "Phantoms, flanking us!"

It was just then a black shadow of a ghost-like drop ship panned down from the roof on either side of the deck. Before John could react, a tube projected from the Phantoms and rudely slammed into the fragile glass walls. The Spartan quickly gained hold of a railing as the vacuum gained effect, sucking the air away. Thankfully the ship's response systems were still active, creating a force-field from the cruel elements of space.

It was too late though as the force-field closed around the Phantom's boarding section, allowing a wave of angry Covenant to swarm inside. It was mostly composed of Grunts save for the couple Jackals and Elites. It didn't matter to John, though, as he reacted immediately.

In a cat-like motion with one hand still gripping the railing, the Spartan swung over the side and onto the lower deck of the room. An Elite roared a challenge, which John responded to with slamming into the monster. He was surprised by his own strength however, as he accidently rammed his opponent into the awaiting glass.

But apparently this section of the wall was worn from travel. As the Elite's back touched the fragile crystal, it immediately fell apart. The Elite inevitably fell through, but due to his and the Chief's grip on each other, the heavy Spartan was forced to follow along.

Thankfully a section of the ship jutted out below them, having them fall onto it. The Elite had the bad luck of being the Chief's landing cushion, the Spartan falling directly on top of him. The poor creature let out a groan of discomfort and pain, so John put it out of its misery by a savage blow at the head.

He stood up to move on, but never stepped away. The second he got to his feet, his body went completely rigid and frozen. He grunted as his joints bent and his body refused to obey him. Although through his struggles, he was able to look up and find the source of his discomfort. He stared into the glaring light of the bottom of a Phantom, which had surrounded him with its gravity lift. John attempted to struggle even more, but nothing happened.

He was completely defenseless as he felt his feet leave the ground and saw the belly close in. His world went black.

* * *

**[Spoilers]**

**Yeah, this chapter was almost exactly like the first level, sorry about that. It was only because I didn't have much to work with. However, I did cut out a couple very important scenes. I have my intentions for this, so I'm going to list the differences of my Halo 4.**

**First of all, I am NOT going include the Didact (though I am including the Librarian). Nor will I mention Cortana's Rampancy; mostly because it's hard to work with and other reasons. Obviously I am planning to include Lasky, though, since I love him and love him even more after ****_Forward Unto Dawn_****. And of course, Jul 'Mdama will be a prominent character.**


	5. Chapter 5

John groaned. His eyelids were heavy as he tried to open them, having a curtain of black slowly rise out of his vision. It only rose to show blurriness. John moaned again and attempted to move. Again he was greeted with disappointment as his body felt completely numb and sore at the same time, making his movements sluggish and little.

"Oh, Chief!" a female voice cried. "You gotta wake up!" When the Spartan only continued his pathetic awakening, Cortana pushed harder. "Come on, Spartan! On your feet!"

Finally the Chief's head tilted up, his vision finally clearing. He blinked, only to see thick dimness. He could barely see the smooth walls of a small room. Naturally waves of disorientation coursed through his mind until finally it was filled with memories upon the _Forward Unto Dawn_.

"_Dammit_!" John bellowed, automatically leaping to his feet.

His eyes finally adjusted to reveal where he was. He was in a single compartment of a room. It was completely barren with no furniture, no devices, no anything. It was actually somewhat spacious, being twenty by twenty feet at least. An almost black floor was underneath the Chief's feet with purplish walls surrounding him. The ceiling a few feet above him was shadowed. And he saw no exit.

The Master Chief let out a savage roar.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he lost control of his actions. Like a rampaging bull, he charged at full speed at the opposite wall. He slammed his left shoulder into the smooth metal, actually feeling a jolt of pain from the impact. But he didn't care. All he cared about was wringing the necks of those bastards.

The Covenant actually captured him! That was the one thing that never happened to him. That was the only thing he vowed that _would never_ happen to him. And if it was on the battlefield in war, that was one thing. But _this _was completely different. They actually took the time and resources to scour the entire universe just for _him_.

And naturally, that didn't give the war veteran a good feeling. They wanted him—badly—and no doubt it was for something big. It was obvious they were up to something that would cause trouble. But how did it involve him?

With those thoughts, John pushed off the wall and glanced where he hit the metal. A sizeable dent dug into the wall where his shoulder struck. Looking at it summoned a fresh batch of fury and adrenaline.

With another scream, he balled a fist and drove it into the crevice. The dent deepened, but the Chief wasn't done yet. He sent one powerful punch right after another, letting out all his rage on the one spot.

He didn't know much time passed. Cortana made no attempt to stop him. But it was probably only a few minutes. He pulled away; panting, sweating, and sore. The dent was now a disfigured wall, the plating barely hanging on. His energy and drive drained, he turned away with a sigh. He trudged back to other side of the room where he first awoke and slid down against the wall. As he settled on the cold floor, Cortana attempted to lighten the mood.

"Hey, at least you can get that Prisoner of War medal now," she piped.

The Spartan only smacked the back of his head.

* * *

A noise awoke John. He blinked from his heavy slumber, moving his legs to promote circulation. He peered up to see his broken wall, but noticed something was different. The Chief glanced to his right to see a new wall had formed.

It was a few feet in front of the original, and it was a forcefield rather than a legitimate structure. It was an ocean-blue shade, having a cobalt glow illuminate the darkened room. The forcefield hummed with power with white pulses rippling across. The Master Chief rose and turned to the new feature, curious. He didn't have to wait long, though. The solid wall behind it broke as a vertical door opened. There was a black crevice for a split second before being occupied by a large figure. John bristled at the Elite.

It was a tall creature, almost reaching the Arbiter's intimidating height. But it wore different armor than the Chief was familiar to, like the other Elites. This Elite's armor was slightly different than the rest, though.

It still wore no armor on its arms and its chest plate just barely covered its torso, but the Spartan noticed its navy blue armor was rearranged a little. The most noticeable feature was that it wore a different helmet. It was a large piece that covered his entire head, even shielding his face. Only gray beady eyes could be seen. A strange symbol was on the crown that seemed similar to a comet: a circular head over his face with a tail stretching over the head.

The newcomer was obviously comfortable behind the forcefield, unfazed by the legendary warrior before him. The Elite glanced at the damaged wall, but said nothing and looked back at the Chief without a second thought. John narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" he questioned darkly.

"I am Jul 'Mdama," the Elite gurgled, "leader of the Covenant Remnant."

John supposed he spoke good enough English. He could understand everything he said, but the Elite owned a heavy accent and struggled with his four-parted jaws. Jul knew the human language, but obviously was not good at speaking it and didn't_ like_ speaking it.

"I thought the Covenant fell," John argued.

"We did," Jul replied, still struggling. "But we revived."

"Let me guess: by you."

Jul only nodded. The creature turned and began to walk to the side. John's narrowed gaze followed him suspiciously, but he quickly caught on that the Elite was only pacing.

"So what's your motive?" the prisoner asked. "It obviously wasn't easy to recreate an entire fleet."

"No, but it was worth it," Jul agreed. "I inherited the Covenant for one purpose: to rid the universe of _you humans_."

"Apparently not all the Elites want peace."

"No, we do not." The leader paused to turn back to the Spartan. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "Especially when you welcome yourself to destroy and mock our way of life!"

John narrowed his eyes even more and Jul continued his pacing, but was a little more agitated than before.

"I feel like we missed something while we were asleep," Cortana commented, but only said it to John. She hadn't taken part of the conversation so far. The Covenant probably didn't even know she was there; probably why she was staying quiet.

"But what do I have to do with it?" the Chief asked.

Jul growled, but clasped his hands behind his back in a sign of composure. "In order to destroy the humans, I need _more_. I _desire _more. But there is a solution. I will obtain all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and use their gifts to bring _true _peace."

"You're not getting Halo!" _And you still haven't answered my question._

Jul snorted. "Halo is old game. It served purpose. Please, you have no proof there is more?"

John tilted his head as his captor went on.

"Galaxy is filled with Forerunner gifts. Some more powerful than Halo." Suddenly Jul 'Mdama shot John a glare of hatred and determination. "And _you _will help us find them."

* * *

**A lot shorter chapter than usual, sorry about that. There was only so much I could do with this one. To make up for it, though, the next chapter is going to be much longer.**

**As I'm sure you have noticed by now, I am using the Master Chief's real name, unlike what I did in the first one. This is because Halo 4 is much more personal, so I decided to follow along.**

**As for Jul, I decided to have him speak English. It is hinted he ****_does _****know how to speak it, and it is much easier to work with. I was originally planning to empathize his accent, but due to the difficultly I have decided just to have him have grammar problems. You may notice it; you may not.**


End file.
